“Elders that were before me, if they didn’t die too early, I wouldn’t have been the first person counted,” Lizzie Chimiugak said, speaking Yup’ik language of Yugtun, with family members serving as interpreters. The mail service is spotty in rural Alaska and the internet connectivity unreliable, which makes door-to-door surveying important. ADThe rest of the nation, including more urban areas of Alaska, begin the census in mid-March. On Tuesday, Steven Dillingham, director of the census bureau, will conduct the first interview. ADAfter the count, a celebration is planned at Nelson Island School, and will include local Alaska Native dancers and traditional food, which could include seal, walrus, musk ox and moose.

Source: Washington Post January 21, 2020 16:41 UTC